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Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth returns for 2010

Kenji Maeda — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:02:09 +0000

Friday, April 9 2010 marks the opening of this years Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth. I will again have the honour to be the Master of Ceremonies for the Opening Night Gala and Award Presentation as well as at Sunday’s Young Filmmakers Showcase and Award Presentation.

One of the reasons why I choose to involve myself with the festival is because of the quality of the films that they bring to Vancouver. Venay Felton, Executive Director, does a great job year after year bringing in films that cover a variety of subject matters that would appeal to both youth and adults.

The opening night film is called The Indian. It’s a Dutch film (with English subtitles).

Eight-year-old Koos is very close to his loving Dutch parents who adopted him from Peru when he was a baby. When he finds out that his mother is expecting a baby, Koos worries that his parents won’t love him as much as their own biological baby. Through a chance meeting with a Peruvian boy named Illari, Koos learns that he is an Indian and a descendant of the Inca people. Determined to embrace his roots, Koos goes on a journey of self-discovery in order to find out who he really is and where he comes from.

This sensitive and insightful film looks at the fears and curiosities some adopted children experience. The Indian is also a wonderful reminder that the love between a parent and child isn’t defined by geography or ancestry, but by the love a family shares with one another.

For more details about the festival, head on over to www.r2rfestival.org.

Don’t forget! There’s a coupon for the festival screenings in the Production Heads Coupon Book.

Oscar Winning Film Trailer

Kenji Maeda — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:17:06 +0000

Over on the VAG Forum, withoutaboat shared a link to a video. I thought it fitting to post it here seeing that tonight marks the 82nd Academy Awards, also known as The Oscars. The video speaks to how formulaic a film tends to be to win an Oscar. It’s embedded below fr your viewing pleasure.

Speaking of the Oscars, Toronto Sun reports that there are a total of 17 nominations amongst 13 Canadians which is a record number of nominations for us with the maple leaf. But it looks like we won’t be winning most of those. Read the full Toronto Sun article to find out why.

A Trailer for Every Academy Award Winning Movie Ever — powered by Cracked.com

13th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:18:21 +0000

It’s back again this year for another promising line up of films showcasing independent Asian filmmakers. The 13th Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) kicks off tonight, Thursday November 5 2009, at the Cinemark Tinseltown movie theatre and runs until Sunday, November 8.

The opening night film is Tze Chun‘s feature film debut, Children of Invention, which has garnered many awards this year from various festivals and was also an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival.

If you missed the Mighty Asian MovieMaking Marathon during the summer, you’ll have another chance to view the top three films from the event along with a number of other short films during the Might Asians & Funny Canadians program on Friday at 5pm.

3rd place winner, MISPLACED, is a family’s emotional journey through a challenging time. 2nd place is VAGINA VACATION, a hilarious romp about…well, the title pretty much explains it. 1st place is BAMBOOZLE, a Chaplin-esque cat and mouse chase throughout the outskirts of Victoria.

There are more than 40 films screening over the four days so take a look at their program and you may see something you’ll want to check out. You’ll recognize some local actors such as Steph Song in the film, Dim Sum Funeral, screening on Saturday evening or a bunch of actors in the film Flower, Drum And Songs: More Than A Musical, a documentary about the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre production of Flower Drum Song from earlier this year.

DOXA – Off And Running

Kenji Maeda — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:50:21 +0000

I’m giving away a pair of tickets to the Thursday, October 29 screening of Off And Running presented by DOXA.

Screening takes place at 7:00pm at Fifth Avenue Cinemas located at 2110 Burrard Street (at 5th Ave), Vancouver BC.

Bonus! Director Nicole Opper and film subject Avery Klein-Cloud are planning to join the audience via Skype for a Q&A.

Read the details below for ticket giveaway entry instructions.

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DOXA has announced its first film of their film series, Motion Pictures, a selection of award-winning documentaries that look at the complex issues surrounding the body, athleticism, the politics of sports and the drive we have to get ourselves in motion.

Here’s a description of the film:

For Avery Klein-Cloud, the African-American daughter of white Jewish lesbians, growing up in an unconventional family poses a unique set of challenges and joys. Her younger brother Zay-Zay is Korean, and her older brother Rafi is mixed-race. In Avery’s words, the Klein-Clouds are “A United Nations family.” Avery is also a hugely successful track star, with a shot a college scholarship. But when she decides to contact her birth mother, her actions have profound ramifications for the entire family.

Three years in the making, during which Avery’s life took tumultuous twists and turns, director Nicole Opper’s debut feature is a remarkable melting pot of issues including same-sex marriage, mixed-race adoption, Jewish identity, African-American culture, and sports, in this case, running.

As Avery attempts to navigate her way through the difficult terrain of teenage life, the track provides a solid touchstone, a place of strength, grace and self-reliance. But when she loses even this one constant, Avery’s young life threatens to spiral out of control.

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Tickets are $10 or you can purchase a Series Subscription for $30. The subscription is only available online and you get one ticket for each of the four films during the series.

For more information, to purchase advanced tickets online or the list of outlets that are selling tickets, go to:
www.doxafestival.ca/news/motionpictures/index.html

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Details on how to enter to win ONE PAIR of tickets for the October 29 screening:

You can enter TWICE.

One Entry by emailing your Full Name, Phone Number, Email Address to info@vancouveractorsguide.com . (Subject: “DOXA RUNNING”)

One Entry by using your twitter account. Retweet the following:
” RT @kenjimaeda Enter to win 2 tix to @doxafestival OFF AND RUNNING screening Oct 29 http://bit.ly/21JJtN ”

<- Click to retweet (you must be logged in)

*A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter by Tuesday, October 27 at 2:00pm.

DOXA Opening Film, Inside Hana’s Suitcase

Kenji Maeda — Sun, 17 May 2009 20:02:20 +0000

DOXA Documentary Film Festival is coming up in a matter of days. The festival is opening on Friday, May 22 with a stunning new film called Inside Hana’s Suitcase, directed by Larry Weinstein.

One day Fumiko Ishioka, the coordinator of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Centre, received a battered suitcase with the name Hana Brady and the word ‘Waisenkind’ (orphan) painted on the front. Her quest to put a face to a name and an old suitcase took her to the Czech Republic, where Hana was born in 1931, in the small village of Nove Mesto. When the Nazis invaded, Hana’s parents were imprisoned and she was sent to a concentration camp in the walled city of Theresienstadt. In secret art classes, held without the permission of the Nazi guards, children like Hana drew what they saw and what they remembered of life before the war. These images of picnics, swaying trees, and people hold hands, prompted Fumiko to go even further.

Her search eventually led to Aushwitz, where Hana’s name was marked with a single check mark, meaning she had died at the camp. But just above Hana’s name, another name was inscribed: George Brady, who had survived the war. Not only had he survived, he was alive, well, and living in Toronto, with a passel of children and grandchildren of his own. George was Hana’s older brother.

The opening night film is screening at 7:30pm on Friday, May 22 at Empire Granville 7 Theatre (855 Granville Street, at Robson). The film will be followed by the opening night party at 9:30pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

For all program details, including ticket prices, passes, and screening venues, go to www.doxafestival.ca.

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I’m giving away two tickets to this opening night film, which includes entrance to the after party. To enter your name into the draw, email info@vancouveractorsguide.com with the Subject Line “DOXA OPENING FILM”, and the following information:

1) Your full name, email, and phone number.
2) Complete the names of the three films below (Hint, Check the festival program):

a) ______ Meets Borat
b) ______ Swing
c) Milking ________

Send your entries in by Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00am. Winner will be randomly drawn and contacted via email and/or phone.

2009 LEO Award Winners

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:15:57 +0000

This past weekend, on May 8 & 9, members of the film, and television industry gathered to celebrate the achievements of their peers for the 2009 Leo Awards. 70 awards from various categories were handed out over the two nights and some of those winners included:

Fifty Dead Men Walking for Best Feature Length Drama
Anne Wheeler, Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama, Living Out Loud
Michael Shanks, Best Lead Performance in a Feature Length Drama by a Male, Stargate Continuum
Babz Chula, Best Lead Performance in a Feature Length Drama by a Female, Mothers&Daughters
Benjamin Arthur, Best Supporting Performance in a Dramatic Series by a Male, Less Than Kind
Eve Harlow, Best Supporting Performance in a Dramatic Series by a Female, The Guard

Other winners included three awards to Comedy Series, Corner Gas; four for Lifestyle Series, The Stagers; three for the Documentary, Dirt; and for Short Dramas, six awards going to The Anachronism, and four to Paul Pontius.

Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Leo Awards!

For the full list of the 2009 Leo Award winners, go to www.leoawards.com/winners_2009.html .

Leo Awards 2009 – Nominations and Screening

Kenji Maeda — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:05:10 +0000

The 2009 Leo Awards Ceremonies are coming up in just over a week — Fri, May 8, and Fri, May 9 at the Westin Bayshore Vancouver. For those of you who don’t know, the Leo Awards were established in 1998 to celebrate excellence in British Columbia film and television.

Achievements in 70 categories will be acknowledged over the two nights of celebration. Categories cover everything from Feature Length Dramas, Documentary Programs, Animation Series, Student Productions, News, to Youth Series including the many sub-categories like Directing, Acting, Writing, or Editing to name a few.

Check out the Leo Awards Film Festival at Pacific Cinémathèque from April 30 to May 4. You will have the opportunity to check out the nominees from some of the leading catergories – Best Feature-Length Drama, Best Documentary, Best Short Drama, and Best Student Production.

For the full list of films being screened over the five days, go to www.cinematheque.bc.ca/leo-awards-film-festival-2009.

Support local productions! And you can even get a 2-for-1 printable coupon by clicking here.

Congrats and good luck to all the nominees at this year’s awards ceremony.

Ticket Giveaway – Recipes For Disaster

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:00:23 +0000

I’m giving away a pair of tickets to the Thursday, April 16 screening of Recipes For Disaster presented by DOXA.

Screening takes place at 7:00pm at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC).

Read the details below for ticket giveaway entry instructions.

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Recipes for Disaster follows a young Anglo-Finnish family as they rid themselves of all oil-based products for a year. The challenge proves to be more emotionally difficult than the family anticipates and John, father and instigator of the oil fast, must find a balance between living oil-free and keeping a functional family.

Filmmaker John Webster undertook this oil diet to see what happens when individuals take responsibility for their contributions to climate change. During this year-long fast, the family remains in mainstream society, continuing their suburban lives. But the emotional strain the diet puts on the family offers more drama and opportunity for self-analysis than predicted, and disaster sets in. As John teeters on the brink of extremism, his militancy threatens to pull the family apart. He must negotiate the fine line between fanaticism and staying true to his values.

Recipes for Disaster speaks to each of us and gently offers guidance through the honest and comedic adventures of an everyday family.

In the words of Director, John Webster:

This is a film about climate change. About catastrophe. And it’s funny, painfully funny. We love to blame the corporations and industries for what’s going wrong with the planet, but we are mistaken. It’s us, baby. You and me. We’re the real bad guys.

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For more information about the screening or to purchase advanced tickets, go to www.doxafestival.ca/news/recipes.html

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To enter to win ONE PAIR of tickets for the April 16 screening:

Send your Full Name, Phone Number, Email Address, and answer to the question below to info@vancouveractorsguide.com . (Subject: “DOXA RECIPES”)

1) What are the opening and closing dates for this year’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival? (Hint: see the DOXA homepage www.doxafestival.ca)

*A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter by Tuesday, April 14 at 9:00pm.

RiP: A remix manifesto (Ticket Giveaway)

Kenji Maeda — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:30:31 +0000

I’m giving away a pair of tickets to the Sunday, March 8 2009 screening of RiP: A remix manifesto presented by DOXA.

Screening takes place at 7:00pm at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC).

Read the details below for ticket giveaway entry instructions.

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In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers. Brett will be on hand via Skype for a live Q&A following the screening.

The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.

A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.

Brett Gaylor is a documentary filmmaker and new media director. He is the creator of opensourcecinema.org, a video remix community which supports the production of his feature documentary RiP: A remix manifesto.

He is also the web producer of the HomelessNation.org, a web project dedicated to bridging the digital divide – allowing everyone to participate in online culture.

Brett is one of Canada’s first videobloggers and has been working with youth and media for over 10 years, and is a founding instructor of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School.

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For more information about the screening or to purchase advanced tickets, go to www.doxafestival.ca/news/rip.html

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To enter to win ONE PAIR of tickets for the March 8 screening:

[Ticket giveaway has been complete]
Send your Full Name, Phone Number, Email Address, and answer to the question below to info@vancouveractorsguide.com . (Subject: “DOXA RIP”)

1) After the screening and Q&A, attendees are invited to which location where DJ Organic will also be in attendance? (Hint: see the DOXA homepage www.doxafestival.ca)

*A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter by Wednesday, March 4 2009 at 9:00pm.

Ticket Giveaway – Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth

Kenji Maeda — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:35:12 +0000

I’m giving away one pair of tickets to the Friday, February 20 Opening Night of the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth. The evening will include the presentation of two awards and the Canadian Premiere screening of a Japanese film, Super Granny.

Opening night takes place at 6:30 pm at Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC)

Read the details below for giveaway entry instructions.

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Saga no gabai baachan (Super Granny) is set in a rural village in southern Japan in the late 1950s, the film tells the story of seven-year-old Akihiro. When his bar-hostess mother finds it a struggle to support her two sons, he is whisked away from Hiroshima to live with his grandmother in small-town Saga. Akihiro’s unconventional yet charming “super granny” is an expert in finding the bright side of everything despite living in severe poverty. Based on the autobiographical novel of Japanese comedian Yoshichi Shimada, Super Granny is a delightful story that celebrates the wealth and importance of family ties, even in the most meager times.

The Reel to Real: A Celebration of Moving Images for Youth Society

…is a non-profit registered charity dedicated to showing the best in culturally diverse, authentic programming for youth. Reel to Real presents an annual film festival, the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth, and media arts programming year-round.

Through public screenings, hands-on workshops, interactive panel discussions, and public forums, our mission is to involve youth in actively viewing and discussing professionally made films; expose youth to new ideas and cultural perspectives; offer high-quality cinematic entertainment outside the mainstream; explore issues that are important to youth; engage youth in discussions with filmmakers about their work; increase understanding of the art and craft of filmmaking; and promote the production and presentation of high quality independent films for youth.

Festival Information and Tickets

This year’s festival runs from February 20 to February 27, 2009.

Check out www.r2rfestival.org for the full program and ticket information.

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To enter to win ONE PAIR of tickets for the Opening Night Awards and Screening:

[Ticket Giveaway has ended]

Send your Full Name, phone number, and answer to the one question below to info@vancouveractorsguide.com . (Subject: “Reel 2 Real”)

1) Name one of the two awards being presented on Opening Night. (see www.r2rfestival.org/opening-night)

*A winner will be randomly selected from those who enter by Wednesday, Feb 18 2009 at 8:00pm.